Player of the Week:
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton Blue Jays
The Blue Jays have been one of the more confusing teams in college basketball this season. Head scratching losses and gutsy, excellent wins have both been happening frequently this year, as they’re 9-5 now with a win over number one Kansas and a loss to a pretty mediocre San Diego State squad. However, Kalkbrenner has been excellent in big games all year for the Jays. This last win against Saint John’s was probably their biggest win of the season since that Kansas game. SJU came in on a hot streak, looking to reenter the polls. Creighton left it all on the floor to make sure that did not happen. Kalk flashed exactly what he has all year, good touch around the rim, good presence on the defensive end, and using his length to impact games in all sorts of ways. His 5 blocks tie a season high for him, and he ended a game with ZERO fouls for the 7th time this season and 3rd straight game. He defends without fouling and is efficient on offense, and despite Creighton’s woes as a team he has continued to play like a man on a mission this year.
Who’s Hot?
Georgetown Hoyas
The surprise story continues for the Hoyas. They’re a disciplined squad, they only foul 15.5 times a game, and they allow the lowest points per game in the conference at 63 a game. Freshman Thomas Sorber has looked excellent this year, serving as an anchor for that defense. He’s averaging 16 a game as well and is 75% from the free throw line to boot. Not bad for a true freshman. Sorber wasn’t a 5-star recruit either, which makes the story even sweeter. Georgetown is just a tough team, and they’re having a huge resurgence this year which is great to see. In a conference that has been largely top-heavy for the last three years, it’s good to see a fresh face competing at a high level this season. Starting on the seventh, they match Marquette, UConn and Saint John’s all in a row. I’m pulling for them to win at least one of those games. Be on the lookout for an upset of the Huskies at home, this defense is no joke and if UConn is missing Liam McNeeley still, it could spell trouble for the Huskies.
Eric Dixon, Villanova Wildcats
The leading scorer in the nation is a Villanova Wildcat. The last time a Nova player led the nation in scoring? 1950. It’s been 75 years since it’s happened, and with the way Dixon has been playing there’s no signs of slowing down. The only thing holding him back from more media attention is Villanova being a middle of the road team, if he wanted to get any NPOY buzz the Cats would have to rip off a lot of wins in conference play, and they’re probably not quite good enough to do that. However, that doesn’t discredit how excellent Dixon has played this year. Dixon’s efficiency is what impresses me the most. He’s a 5th year senior, so he knows how to score at a college level, but having damn near a 50-50-80 season as the leading scorer in the country is mind-boggling, especially when you’re shooting almost 8 threes a game. His combination of size, finesse and touch will make him a surefire pick for an NBA team in my opinion. Every squad could use a 6’8 guy that can torch you from beyond the arc, and Dixon will do just that.
Who’s Not?
Steven Ashworth, Creighton Blue Jays
Ashworth is a 5th year senior and hasn’t been a bad player for all of this year, he’s second on the Blue Jays in points and is 15th in the country in assists per game. Also, he’s shooting a fervent 98% from the free throw line which is absolutely insane considering he shoots 4 a game. He’s shot 53 this season and missed just one. However, this is a weekly blog, and I can’t discredit getting a double-double with points and turnovers in a one-point victory. Ashworth was not good against Saint John’s, and his ten turnovers was more than the entirety of Saint John’s (9). As I said before, Creighton has been a very confusing team this year, and if they want to get back on track then their number one guy can’t give the ball away ten times. He’s also almost surpassed his single season total in turnovers from last year in half as many games, which is a surprising regression from a 5-year college vet. It’s also important to note that a lot of excellent college players have had way more turnovers in a season. This one guard from Murray State named Ja Morant is 4th all time on the single season turnover list from his world-and-rim-shaking 2018-19 season, but Ashworth can’t afford to keep this up if the Blue Jays are gonna keep their foot in the door in the Big East.
Seton Hall Pirates
5 losses in a row for the Pirates and they’re only getting uglier. They’re 5-9 now, and they haven’t shown a lot of progression over the course of the year. It’s pretty shocking too, as this is a team that went 25-13 last year and won the NIT. They weren’t a powerhouse in any way, but they still won over 20 games just a year ago. Now Shaheen Holloway is on the hot seat after two solid years trying to rebuild the program. So what’s their main issue? There’s a laundry list, but buckets haven’t been easy to come by. They only have two players averaging more than 9 points a game, and not a single qualified player shooting over 50% from the field. It’s been messy, too, as they turn the ball over quite a bit. The only good thing we’ve seen from the Pirates this season is their defense, second in the conference in points allowed per game. A huge issue has been the easy things, free throws and turnovers. They’re shooting an abysmal 63% from the charity stripe as a team and are second in the conference in turnovers per game. The only team ahead of them in turnovers is UConn, but the Huskies have the talent to make up for those mistakes. The Pirates do not. Holloway and the boys are going to need a lot of work this season to right the ship (pirate pun), but I don’t see it happening.
Power Rankings
5. Creighton Blue Jays
Inconsistency runs amok with this team, but their top-shelf talent and coaching leaves them a threat in the conference. They commit the least fouls per game in the country, too.
4. Saint John’s Red Storm
Every time the Storm are about to be ranked again, they lose. This will keep them flying under the radar for a bit… Maybe that’s where Pitino wants to be?
3. Georgetown Hoyas
The surprise of the season thus far, a well-crafted roster that plays hard. Sorber is going to give McNeeley a run for his money for freshman of the year.
2. Marquette Golden Eagles
The Eagles continue to look great, but in my eyes they have to knock of UConn until I move them up.
1. UConn Huskies
That three-game skid is looking more and more like a fluke every week; however the Huskies are last in the conference in assists a game and first in fouls committed. It’s odd to see a Hurley-led squad be this undisciplined, but the guy just won two nattys for a reason. They will get better.